Nintendo patents games console that has no optical drive

[TopWargamer]

Source: http://www.geek.com/games/nintendo-patents-games-console-that-has-no-optical-drive-1631940/

Patent: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20150231511&OS=20150231511&RS=20150231511

 

Nintendo loves their risky business, but unlike the movie, this new idea has the potential to not do so well. In a US patent filing made back in February, Nintendo outlined a new console that won't have any kind of optical drive. It gets better. The new console won't have any kind of drive at all. No cartridges, no optical media, etc. Nothing. So is this the Nintendo NX? It's not official yet, but it more than likely is. 

 

Remember the PSPGo? I hope Nintendo does, because if so they know that they're making a huge mistake. The console landscape is not like smartphones, for example, where you can get away with not having media drives (nor could you, realistically, on a smartphone). You almost need that media drive, as do most consumers due to data caps, slow speeds, etc.

 

 

Let's end on this note from the Geek.com article:

A patent does not mean something is definitely going to happen, but Nintendo is certainly the most radical of the three main games console manufacturers (motion controls, anyone?). If the NX arrives without a disc drive, we shouldn’t be too surprised, but at the same time Nintendo could be setting itself up for a console that manages to sell fewer units than the Wii U.

I hope that Nintendo includes some kind of media drive with whatever console this is, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me if they didn't.

[Agent181]

oh

 

nothing will work if there are shitty isp's but oh well

[Br3tt96]

Seems dumb, unless they're doing some sort of sd card games now? Most people do not have their wiis connected to internet, or downloading is an issue. Seems like a dumb thing so far, but that could change.

[Dabombinable]

Lol, so my Original Xbox will offically be a better console than the one Nintendo appears to be working on. Nice.

[You_are_a_cunt]

Finally a potential dumb move that could bury them. Unfortunately, just with the rights from Mario, Nintendo can survive for at least another 10 years :<

 

Them greedy feckers need to either get their shazbot straight or just die off.

[Trik'Stari]

Nintendo......just stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously....just stop.

[Clyne]

Lol, so my Original Xbox will offically be a better console than the one Nintendo appears to be working on. Nice.

Well if it still follows the original idea of plug and play then i might buy it...

Wii U is a great console, just never had the funds to buy it.....

[skywake]

The patent isn't about hardware, it's about a system for a device that has an SSD and a HDD. One that works out which of the different storage media is faster and then moves the content it wants to run faster to that media based on some undefined system. Effectively what they're talking about is an SSD cache. But a version of it that's smart enough to measure the speed of an external disk and decide whether games should be stored on that instead of the internal one. For example if you plug in an SSD into the back of the console. Also there's this bit....

 

The game apparatus 1 according to the present example embodiment has a compatibility with another game apparatus on which an optical disk drive capable of reading out a game program from an optical disk is mounted. In other words, it is possible for the game apparatus 1 according to the present example embodiment to execute the same game program as another game apparatus on which an optical disk drive is mounted. The same interface as that of the optical disk drive mounted on another compatible game apparatus is employed for the interface of the internal HDD 13 in the game apparatus 1 according to the present example embodiment. 

 

Effectively, they've said that the patent would also apply to a console that has an optical drive. This is just a way for them to cover both options. And anyways, who's PC has an optical drive? I don't see how that would be a bad thing. Please lets move away from disks on every gaming platform!

[Misanthrope]

So now we have patents from just removing Shit from products? Goddam this is getting retarded.

[handymanshandle]

Eh optical disc are on the way out (unfortunate for those with slower internet speeds (such as myself) and those with data caps (which I fortunately do not have.))

 

I however figure that I'll have a file server that will be able to handle downloading and uploading things that would otherwise occupy another more useful system.

[Rough Draft]

So now we have patents from just removing Shit from products? Goddam this is getting retarded.

It seems like big companies can patent anything. 

[Albatross]

Patents? For that?!

 

This world is on the verge of going full retard.

[JAKEBAB]

Why are people complaining about this, people wanted the xbone and ps4 to be drive less and they still want the slim versions to be.... You know what would fix this, a certified external optical drive. Sure it would be over priced but it would give people that as many of you know live in countries with 3rd world internet infrastructure *cough* Australia *cough* a viable option.

[hph6203]

Nintendo has made it pretty freaking clear that they are not interested in selling Madden or Call of Duty, they're interested in selling their hardware and their software. Mario Kart 8 was a 5GB download for the Wii U, 3D world was 1.7GB; the vast majority of Nintendo's library is under 5GB, which is accessible to the majority of people from a download speed/bandwidth cap perspective.

If Nintendo can sell their console for $150, games for $20-40 at launch and reduced to $10-$20 after the first 6 months to a year and the price you pay is having to download the games, then it's probably a fair trade for most people. They seem to be gearing up to launch the equivalent of a Roku player that can play fully fledged games.

[Dabombinable]

Why are people complaining about this, people wanted the xbone and ps4 to be drive less and they still want the slim versions to be.... You know what would fix this, a certified external optical drive. Sure it would be over priced but it would give people that as many of you know live in countries with 3rd world internet infrastructure *cough* Australia *cough* a viable option.

1. If you own a game on disc you physically own it and if servers go down you can install it (unless its only the 'starter' disc for installation)

2. Once a game is on a HDD, its loads a lot faster than any optical media or off the internet

3. A lot of people have shitty internet that won't be getting better for years if at all.

[Darkman]

1. If you own a game on disc you physically own it and if servers go down you can install it (unless its only the 'starter' disc for installation)

2. Once a game is on a HDD, its loads a lot faster than any optical media or off the internet

3. A lot of people have shitty internet that won't be getting better for years if at all.

3 is like me. The isp here with fiber will never bring it down my road. Thus I am stuck with a shitty isp that is scamming the shit out of me giving me .2-.8/.05-.5 with ping from 32ms to 900 ms on 50 mile servers... I pay for 3/1 and they said the ping shouldn't pass 50 ms to any 50 mile server. Bull fucking shit

[That Norwegian Guy]

Optical died in 2011 and the only people who still are tied to them are the bottom-tier consumers like casual Brad from accounting.

 

About time. And with the optical drives going, Hollywood will have one less tool in its crusade againt human decency.

[kainobean]

i like this idea since this was how i used my wii back when i actualy played the wii... i modded it and then put all the games on a hdd and played off that and it was sooooo much better than swaping disc to play games... like disc are stupid and should die... if anything id rather see them bring back cartidiges since they were faster and with how fast flash is these days they be much faster and hold much much larger games... onyl wiht a small in convinece of maybe blowing dust out of the slot but id take that over better performance and load times.

[Dabombinable]

3 is like me. The isp here with fiber will never bring it down my road. Thus I am stuck with a shitty isp that is scamming the shit out of me giving me .2-.8/.05-.5 with ping from 32ms to 900 ms on 50 mile servers... I pay for 3/1 and they said the ping shouldn't pass 50 ms to any 50 mile server. Bull fucking shit

My internet isn't that bad (I'm luckily in a growth area and Telstra actually sort of pays attention to the network), however 1.5MB/s peak is not fast enough to download any game quickly much less load it from an internet based server.

[Darkman]

My internet isn't that bad (I'm luckily in a growth area and Telstra actually sort of pays attention to the network), however 1.5MB/s peak is not fast enough to download any game quickly much less load it from an internet based server.

I have to deal with 20KB/s-320KB/s...

[Jerakl]

Optical died in 2011 and the only people who still are tied to them are the bottom-tier consumers like casual Brad from accounting.

 

About time. And with the optical drives going, Hollywood will have one less tool in its crusade againt human decency.

 

Are you stupid?

 

Lot's of people still use optical, me included. (not salty because of that btw)

Not everyone has good internet to download games etc.

 

Physical hasn't died. It probably won't for a while. Whether it's in the form of optical, or something else (USB, etc).

[Dabombinable]

I have to deal with 20KB/s-320KB/s...

Either way, the internet is shit in too many places for any internet based console to be sucessful.

[JAKEBAB]

1. If you own a game on disc you physically own it and if servers go down you can install it (unless its only the 'starter' disc for installation)

2. Once a game is on a HDD, its loads a lot faster than any optical media or off the internet

3. A lot of people have shitty internet that won't be getting better for years if at all.

1. Im the guy who still has a dvd drive in there computer, also the guy who pre orders games and likes limited edition cases etc

2. I know

3. I live in Australia.....

 

You have clearly taken my comment the wrong way.

[Clyne]

1. If you own a game on disc you physically own it and if servers go down you can install it (unless its only the 'starter' disc for installation)

2. Once a game is on a HDD, its loads a lot faster than any optical media or off the internet

3. A lot of people have shitty internet that won't be getting better for years if at all.

I'm the guy who owns a lot of CDs/DVDs/Games on disk that i don't want to lose..........

No download on the disks, just insert and play.

I'm stuck on 860KB/s download, i'm even lucky to get 900 KB/s or higher. 

[Dabombinable]

Just to be clear, this is why my Original Xbox is better than the apparently planned console, and indeed everything after the PS3/Xbox 360 (which are are barely better):

Note, 48 games on a single partition of a 250GB HDD, and its possible to install HDD up to 2TB. Beat that plug-and-play convenience newer consoles.